Activision released its financial earnings report for the first quarter of 2014 on Tuesday. In the midst of all the financial numbers, the date for the long-awaited “Destiny” beta for the PS4, PS3, Xbox One and Xbox 360 was also revealed.

According to a slide from Activision’s shareholder’s presentation, the “Destiny” beta will launch in July ahead of its Sept. 9 launch. Additionally, pre-orders for the game are tracking to be a record for new IP per internal estimates from the mega-publisher.

Fans of Bungie and its work on the Xbox exclusive “Halo” franchise have been eagerly awaiting the company’s next game since the developer announced its split with Microsoft and the signing of a publishing contract with Activision.

The publisher is betting big both on Bungie and the shared-world shooter that is “Destiny”. A Reuters report today revealed that Activision is investing $500 million into the franchise over the next 10 years. That bet looks to pay off though as Activision is predicting that the release of “Destiny” combined with “Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare”, “Skylanders: Trap Team”, “Hearthstone”, “Diablo III: Reaper of Souls” and “World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor” will drive growth for the company and record earnings for shareholders.

"If you're making a $500 million bet you can't take that chance with someone else's IP," Kotick said during the Milken conference last week. "The stakes for us are getting bigger." Activision would need to tell about 16 million units to break even according to some analysts.

Those that want to participate in the “Destiny” beta need only to pre-order the game from Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop or any other retailer. The beta will be available first for the Playstation 4 and Playstation 3. There’s no word from Bungie or Activision on how long afterward the beta will be released to the Xbox One and Xbox 360.

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Scott has been covering the game industry (and game deals) since late 2009. He takes joy in covering what fits his varied tastes in gaming cultivated from a very young age. You can reach him at jsgrill@gmail.com or follow him on Facebook. He can also be found at the Furious Fourcast where is a co-host and producer.